5 Practical Gifts for Female Backpackers on Their Bon Voyage

I’m writing this from the Hong Kong International Airport and marvelling at the timing of this post. What better occasion to discuss such a subject than the day I fly overseas for my O.E.? ✈

When someone is leaving on their big adventure, it can be tempting to want to get them a farewell gift as a gesture of kindness and well wishes. However, this can easily be made difficult if that said someone is backpacking. I think I speak for most everyone when I say that I struggle to fit my belongings into a suitcase let alone backpack. Right this very moment, some poor chap is lugging my oversized luggage from one plane and onto another. So the challenge therefore becomes thinking of a gift that the traveler can take wherever they go with nothing but a backpack to live out of.

Oi Cup

“The Oi Cup is the perfect companion for the female traveler. There are three ‘criteria’ that people often try to meet when traveling: pack light, spend less, and explore the off-the-beaten track. Periods are simply incompatible with these. For one, the last thing you want to be sacrificing your precious luggage space for is cumbersome boxes of sanitary products. But at the same time, you don’t want to be budgeting to spend extra money on pads and tampons (a single pad can cost up to NZD$5.60 in some countries!). Furthermore, the last thing you want is to be caught empty-handed in the middle of nowhere with no resources to deal with your period. Trust me, I’ve been there… your underwear won’t thank you 🙈”

These little beauties are a game changer when it comes to our periods. The ‘Oi Cup’ is a reusable and recyclable menstrual cup that can be used instead of tampons or pads. It’s environmentally friendly and can last up to 12 hours before needing to be changed. Let’s just say I don’t dread those long haul flights any more, and neither should your backpacker.

Couchsurfing Verification

If you don’t know what Couchsurfing is, then you’re missing out.

Couchsurfing is a website where travellers can sign up and either host, or be hosted by, people around the globe. There is no exchange of money, only of experience. As it so happens, my first Couchsurfing experience as a guest is to be tonight (updates to come!) but I have hosted before in the city of Dunedin. Two lovely German traveler stayed with me for a couple of days, and we did a variety of things together such as sharing stories, drinking wine and visiting the Butterfly Forest at the Otago Museum. It was honestly one of the highlights of the past few months, and I cannot wait to throw myself back into that environment again.

“We envision a world made better by travel and travel made richer by connection. Couchsurfers share their lives with the people they encounter, fostering cultural exchange and mutual respect.”

It’s a fantastic idea to create a verified Couchsurfing account. Verification essentially means that you go through a process (including things such as confirming your home address and paying an annual fee) which both lets other Couchsurfers know that you are a substantiated person, and also provides revenue to help keep the Couchsurfing community running.

Like anything, Couchsurfing can carry an element of risk, so here are my top tips for ensuring a safe experience:

Never stay with anyone who doesn’t have (positive) references

Go with your gut instinct; if you are messaging someone and something feels a bit dodgy, listen to that. A lot of people use Couchsurfing as they would Tinder, so take everything with a grain of salt

Prioritise opting for verified hosts for better piece of mind

Kindle

When you’re traveling, there will inevitably come periods of fatal boredom where you would do anything for a decent book. Whether these be those god-awful long-haul flights or just awkward transit delays, it’s never a bad thing to have Harry Potter on hand. (By the way, if you are in need of a book recommendation, I recommend you check out this publication.)

I started off with a Kindle eReader, and then eased into accessing the Kindle Cloud Reader from my smart phone. This might be the most desirable option for your backpacker if she is seriously tight for space.

Although I won’t deny the pleasure of turning the pages of a physical book, the Kindle eReader sure did grow on me. A minimalist at heart, I like the idea of being able to buy my own virtual library without having to waste paper for books that I would probably never ever read again. Plus, books are a sight lot cheaper when you’re not buying paperback. Food for thought 💸

Whilst we’re on the subject of literature, allow me to introduce you to Audible.

Audible – also an Amazon company – allows you to listen to books instead of reading them. Yep, I’m talking good old audiobooks.

I first tried to develop an appreciation for audiobooks when I was around ten years old, and it just wasn’t happening for me. I found that I couldn’t concentrate or properly envisage what was actually happening without having it on a page right in front of me. Roughly a decade later, I tried again. This time, with considerably more success.

I like to think of audiobooks as a passive way of reading. I plug in my earphones if I’m tired or feeling nauseous and not up to reading off the page. They’re also fantastic to fall asleep to – although be careful what you listen to during those times, because you might be in for some very confusing dreams. All your backpacker will require is some sort of cellular device to download the app, and a pair of headphones. You might like to gift them with an annual subscription where they can download one free audiobook per month (my favourite day of each month, if I’m being honest).

Last but not least, I recommend you write your female backpacker a handwritten letter on her bon voyage.

A sheet of paper takes up no room at all. She could slip it into her wallet, or even beneath her phone case. Handwritten letters are special because, well, they can’t be bought. They’re meaningful and timeless and are one of the only things that can reliably cheer someone up when she is halfway around the world and feeling completely and utterly alone.

In this day and age, handwritten letters are unexpected. That’s what packs their real punch. Before I left, I received a number of cards that had some really beautiful thoughts jotted down inside of them. Some I received from people I didn’t think had even acknowledged that I was leaving, which just made them all the more significant for me.

So, there you have it: the most special gift I could think to receive is something that costs nothing and lasts forever. And at the sound of clichés, I’m signing off.